Good premise, poor execution.

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2003)

This film starts out well: `activists release crazy virus-ridden monkeys from a laboratory', followed by `guy wakes up in deserted city 4 weeks later'. Yes, the footage of him wandering around London completely on his own is very impressive and the soundtrack ain't bad either. Oh, and that Naomie Harris  she's got a decent part and she's a strong actress. But that's about it. After meeting up with the father/daughter pair it's clear that the writer, the director and anybody else responsible for this production didn't have a clue what to do next. So they started making it up as they went along. They practically admit as much, on the DVD, in their commentaries over the top of the movie and the various deleted scenes and three (yes three!) alternate endings. A lesson to be learned here: decide roughly how your film will end before you start filming.
*** Spoilers ahead ***
There's a few flaws in there too:
1) Surely there'd be a few bodies lying around in the streets  after all we see a double-decker bus on it's side  didn't anyone get killed during that incident?
2) Selena's hair always looks like it's just been washed and blow-dried  kinda strange given there's no hot water or electricity!
3) Why, oh why would they drive into a tunnel when all the bridges seem to be deserted? And driving over the top of a pile of crashed vehicles? I don't think so!
4) An untouched grocery store  don't the infected folk get hungry too? No matter how filled with rage they are  they still gotta eat! And that place looked kinda nicely lit!
5) As they drive by the windmills (which, incidentally are actually located in Cornwall) they are on a dual carriageway  as they drive away they are suddenly back on a 3-lane motorway.
6) The 3-lane motorway seems to get very narrow once they reach the blockade
7) Doesn't ANYBODY else see or hear the planes overhead?
Yes, some of these flaws are because of the low budget, but perhaps then, Mr. Boyle shouldn't try to execute a big-budget project without the money.